The Fire were served another big blow on the injury front with the announcement that Matt Polster will miss what essentially is the rest of the season. Polster is expected to be out the next four to five months after undergoing surgery Thursday morning to repair a right medial collateral ligament tear. The injury was sustained during training on Sunday.

After missing time in the preseason due to a left knee strain, Polster initially injured his right MCL during a training session March 16. The original timeline for his return was five to six weeks. He was able to start in the season-opening loss to Sporting Kansas City, but that appears to be it for him in 2018.

Polster missed significant time in 2017 with a left knee injury that limited him to only 22 regular-season appearances. The Fire were at their best last season when Polster was contributing on both sides of the pitch, and he gave the team an added dimension in the attack as a force from the right side out of...